Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive a picture of the past and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. This intriguing visual history contains over 200 photographs that bring to life the rich cultural heritage of the region known as America 's Last Frontier. The isolation and harsh environment of Presque Isle, Caribou, and New Sweden have shaped the distinctive brcharacter of these three communities. The social mobility of the frontier went hand in hand with a pioneer pride and spirit that remains today, and indeed has recently been shown in the determination to recover from the closing of the Presque Isle Air brForce Base in 1961 and the Loring Air Force Base in 1994.